Opinion Piece
9 Tips To Help You Ace That Online Job Interview!
So you sent your resume through and we liked what we saw. Pre-Covid, this meant we’d invite you to drop by the office for an interview and get to know each other a bit better. But anyone who’s been through 2020 knows the face-to-face will most probably happen online for a few more months. Our teams are mostly working from home and your interviewer might be stuck in another country due to airports unexpectedly closing every other week.
But this doesn’t mean we’re setting you up for failure. Quite the contrary. So, in all good faith and without further ado…
- Choose the right device: This means using the one with the best camera… At the end of the day, it’s more important you be clearly seen and heard than the other way around.
- Wear your earphones: Better video is good, but good audio is necessary. So don’t rely on your device’s speaker function.
- Do a test run: You don’t want to realize that you need to sign up at the last moment and risk logging in late.
- Look at the camera: Elevate your laptop and, as counter-intuitive as it seems, don’t look at the screen if you want to create the illusion of eye contact.
- Eliminate distractions: barking dogs, mom watching Turkish soaps, kids fighting & WhatsApp Web notifications all fall under this category.
- Pick a good spot: Stay away from unmade beds and cluttered dining room tables turned home offices. Also, we love virtual backgrounds, but now’s not really the time to show us your favorite one so stick to a neutral one for the time being.
- Check the time zone: Remember that interviewer who might be stuck in another country or working in another office? Double-check the time difference, because let’s face it, we’ve all forgotten to do it at least once and showed up an hour late.
- Take advantage of the “Recording” option: Go on Zoom and record yourself telling your story before an interview. This will let you find the right pace and polish nervous tics and stutters.
- Get in the mood: Wear your favorite shoes, Sing along to your favorite song, and get your energy levels up before the interview. The last thing you want to convey is the lockdown blues you’ve been feeling after months at home. Just smile and be your-happy-self; we’re a nice bunch.